High school football notebook: Final week not lacking drama

The final week of the high school football season is littered with meaningful games. For many teams their playoff hopes hinge on a victory Week 10, whereas others are hoping to improve their playoff path.

Unlike most seasons though, these critical games don't just involve teams who will inevitably lose their first-round game anyway.

The impact Week 10 could have on the 5A landscape cannot be understated, and it could result in a first-round game between Alta and Bingham.

If the defending 5A champion Hawks lose at Pleasant Grove this Friday, and Brighton also beats Jordan, Alta would enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed from Region 4 and would hit the road in the opening round at Region 3 champion Bingham.

If Alta wins, a Pleasant Grove team that was undefeated a week ago would head into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed from Region 4.

The Alta-P.G. game isn't the only key clash from Region 4. Brighton needs to beat visiting Jordan to secure a playoff berth. If Jordan wins, however, the teams would tie for the final playoff spot and break that tie with a play-in game the following Tuesday.

The same scenario could play out in Region 1 when Weber travels to Northridge. Weber can clinch a playoff spot with a win, but if Northridge wins the two teams would be tied for the final playoff spot and would have a play-in game the following week.

The only other significant clash in 5A is the Kearns at West Jordan elimination game in Region 3.

In Class 4A, Mountain Crest needs to beat Sky View to wrap up the outright Region 5 title, a result that would drop Sky View down to the No. 3 seed.

In Region 7 Provo and Timpview are both undefeated in league play heading into their regular season finale showdown.

The scenarios at the bottom of Region 7 could become a mess. It's straightforward if Mountain View beats Orem, with both teams tying for third but also still qualify for the postseason. If Orem beats Mountain View though, and Westlake also beats Lehi, then Mountain View, Timpanogos and Westlake would tie for the final playoff berth setting up a good ol' fashion three-way play-in game.

The Region 9 title and the all-important first-round home game is also on the line in Southern Utah when Dixie faces Pine View.

Three region crowns will be up for grabs in head-to-head clashes in Class 3A.

The Park City at Wasatch game in Region 10 will determine the outright league champion, whereas the same goes in Region 11 when Morgan visits Juan Diego. In Region 12 the Delta-Juab winner clinches at least a share of the league crown and an outright title if Manti stumbles against Richfield.

GRID PICKS WINNERS: Salt Lake City's Jenny Young was the only participant to correctly pick 11 of 12 games correctly in Week 9 of the Deseret News Prep Grid Picks contest. She wins $50 and a Grid Picks T-Shirt for talking first place. Six runner-ups out of 423 entries also win a Grid Picks T-shirt. They are: Sandy's Benjamin Coats, Layton's John Potter, Pleasant Grove's Mark Hardman, Omaha, Neb.'s Robert Rail, Washington's Craig Forman and West Valley City's Steven Paxton.

The Week 10 Grid Picks contest is already under way at deseretnews.com/gridpicks. Picks will be accepted until Thursday at 7 p.m.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com